Apparatus for activating shoe stiffeners



June' 30, 1964 J. 5. KAMBORIAN APPARATUS FOR ACTIVATING SHOE STIF'FENERS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed Jan. 10, 1962 INVENTOR. Jacob S. Kambor/an June 30, 1964 J. s. KAMBORIAN 3,138,811

APPARATUS FOR ACTIVATING SHOE STIF'FENERS Original Filed Jan. 10, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 74 ti f 2a 4 T 5: 1 1 I we /4 as FIG-3 INVENTOR.

Jacob S. Kambor/an June 30, 1964 J. S. KAMBORIAN APPARATUS FOR ACTIVATING SHOE STIFFENERS Original Filed Jan. 10,

3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. Jacob S. Kamborlan BY W/fM FIG-7 United States Patent 3,138,811 APPARATUS FOR ACTIVATING SHOE STIFFENERS Jacob S. Kamborian, 133 Forest Ave, West Newton, Mass.

Original application Jan. 10, 1962, Ser. No. 165,365.

Divided and this application Aug. 24, 1962, Ser. No.

3 Claims. (Cl. 12-595) 'end of a shoe upper and is then heated above the predetermined temperature. The counter and upper are then placed on a last and subjected to stresses that cause the now flaccid counter to conform to the shape of the last.

While these stresses are maintained, the heel end of the upper is lasted, and the stresses are released after the termination of the heel seat lasting operation and after the counter has cooled sulficiently to revert to its rigid state.

The principal object of this invention is to provide an apparatus for heating the counter to the desired temperature. Dry heat from a heat lamp is utilized for this purpose. However, it has been found that when the counter is heated by the heat lamp to a temperature sufiicient to render it flaccid, the leather forming the counter pocket is scorched, shrunk and otherwise distorted. In order to overcome this undesirable result, the counter and upper are engulfed in steam while the dry heat from the lamp is applied. The steam appears to replace the moisture that is evaporated by the dry heat from the lamp. In any event, the eifect of the steam is to avoid the deleterious conditions in the leather of the counter pocket cre ated by the dry heat.

The steam is provided by a steam pot having a receptacle for containing a quantity of water and electric heating cartridges embedded therein for converting the water into steam. A supply source of water is connected to the pot and a conduit extends from the supply source through a passageway in the steam pot and then into the receptacle so that water going from the supply source to the receptacle is preheated during its movement through the pot. A wall extending upwardly of the pot has a plurality of heat lamps mounted therein. The Wall also has support fingers mounted therein for supporting an upper adjacent each lamp and guard fingers mounted therein that extend about the lamps.

In a second embodiment of the invention, the support and guard fingers are eliminated and a bafile is provided that is supported on the steam pot and encloses the heat lamp so that steam arising from the pot is directed against the shoe upper and counter supported at the top of the bafile. With this arrangement, the rising steam passes and is heated by the lamp before coming into contact with the upper and counter supported at the top of the bafile.

3,138,811 Patented June 30, 1964 Reference is now had to the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevation of the apparatus;

FIGURE 2 is a view, partially in section, taken on line 2-2 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a view taken on line 33 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a detail taken on line 44 of FIG- URE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a showing of the heel end of the upper, the counter pocket and the counter;

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of the baffle;

FIGURE 7 is a section of the apparatus showing the bafiie mounted on the steam pot; and

FIGURE 8 is a view taken on line 8-8 of FIGURE 7.

The device comprises a solid steam pot 10 having legs 12 which enable the pot to be supported on a su jacent surface. A sheet 14 of thermally insulative material is secured by fasteners 16 to the bottom of the pot 10. The pot is formed to provide a receptacle 18 for storing a quantity of water, and a screen 20, secured to the pot by fasteners 22, extends over the receptacle. Braces 23 extending rearwardly of the pot are connected to a fun- 7 nel 24. The funnel includes a cup 25 and a plurality of ribs 26 adapted to support an inverted jug 28 of water. A conduit extends from the funnel to the receptacle so that, in the conventional manner, the water level in the cup 25, at the neck of the jug and in the receptacle 18 is maintained at the same level.

Adjacent its bottom, the pct 10 has an arcuate horizontally extending passageway 34 that intersects the rear of the pot at its ends 36 and 38. The passageway between its ends forms a loop that goes around the block adjacent its side edges in a horizontal plane. The conduit comprises a length of tubing 30 that is connected atone end to the cup 25 by a nipple 32 and is connected at its other end to the pot 10 by a nipple 40, the nipple 32 being in communication with a well 42 in the cup 25 and the nipple 40 being in communication with the receptacle 18. The tubing extends from the nipple 32 into the pars sageway end 36, loops through the passageway 34, exits from the passageway end 38 and then loops upwardly to the nipple 40.

A hole 44 extending through the pot 10 beneath the receptacle 18 and above the passageway 34 receives a pair of electric heating cartridges 46.

An upwardly extending Wall 48 is connected to the rear of the pct 10 by fasteners 50 and two upwardly extend ing divider plates 52 are connected to the Wall 48 to eX- tend forwardly thereof and thereby divide the Wall into three sections. An opening 54 is provided in each wall section to accommodate the base 56 of a conventional heat lamp 58. Each lamp 58 includes a resistance coil A pair of support fingers 72 are secured to the wall 48 and extend forwardly of the wall below each lamp 58. Three guard fingers 74 are secured to the wall 48 heated above its original temperature. the water in the described manner, prior to the entrance encompass the lamps.

As aforesaid, the apparatus is used to activate a thermoplastic shoe counter that is inserted in a counter pocket preparatory to performing a counter molding and heel seat lasting operation in accordance with the method described in pending application Serial No. 80,919, filed January 5, 1961. The Work used in practicing this method comprises a shoe upper '76 having a liner 78 stitched to its inside surface at its heel end by stitching 80 to thereby form a counter pocket, the upper and liner preferably being made of leather. The counter pocket receives a counter 82 that is made of a thermoplastic homogeneous base sheet coated on its sides with a film of thermoplastic adhesive. Reference is made to the aforementioned apof materials out of which the counter may be fashioned.

In carrying out the method of application Serial No.

7 80,919, the counter must be activated by heating it to a temperature at which the normally rigid base sheet becomes fiaccidand moldable and the normally rigid and highly cohesive films become tacky and less cohesive.

In using the apparatus, the. jug 28, filled with water, is inverted into the funnel 24 with the neck 29 of the jug resting on the ribs 26. The water fills the 'well 42 and passes through the tubing 30 into the receptacle 18 until the level of the water in both the receptacle and the well is level with the jug neck 29. The heaters 46 and lamps 58 are now turned on. The heaters 46 serve to heat the vtion, it is replaced by new water from the well 42 until it rises againto the level of the jug neck. The portion .of the tubing 39 in the passageway 34 is heated by the heaters 46 so that the new water is pre-heated above its original temperature prior to entering the receptacle 18.

It has been found that when the new water enters the receptacle 18at its original temperature it tends to reduce the production of steam until the new water is By pro-heating of the water into the receptacle, the rate of steam production is enhanced and remains substantially constant.

A workpiece comprising a shoe upper having a counter date the lamp 5%.

thereagainst. The bafde is a rectangular open-bottomed and open-topped frame formed by a front wall 86, a rear wall 88 and two side walls 90. The walls as and 88 have convex extensions 92 that rise upwardly of the horizontal upper edges 94 of the Walls 90. Screening 96 extends across the top of the baffle from the top of one extension 92 to the top of the other extension. A hole 98 is provided in the rear wall 83 of a size to accommo- When using the bafiie $4, the fingers 72 and 74 are removed, and the baflle is placed on top of the pot 10 with its open bottom extending across the receptacle 18. In this position, the lamp 58 extends through the hole 98 into the interior of the bafile'as indicated in FIGURE 8 and the rear baiile wall 88 bears against the wall 48. The work is placed on the 'oafile toe end down so that the inside of the heel of the upper, the counter pocket and the counter rest on the screening 96 and substantially cover the opening at the top of the battle as indicated in phantom in FIGURE 7. The steam in rising from the receptacle is directed by the baffle walls directly against the work, and is not dissipated elsewhere. Some of the steam however, goes around the interior of the upper through the screen 96 and bears against the exterior of the upper. The battle walls also serve to concentrate the heat radiating from the lamp 58 and direct it against the work so that the counter is heated more rapidly. In addition, by interposing the lamp 58 between the receptacle 1S and the work supporting screen 96, the lamp located in its counter pocket is now supported heel. end

down on the support fingers 72 as indicated in FIGURE 1. The dry heat radiating from the lamp 58 serves to heat and activate the counter. At the same time, steam rising from the receptacle 1% envelops the upper, counter and liner assembly. In order to activate the counter, its temperature must be raised by the lamp 58 to a level that normally scorches, shrinks or otherwise deleteriously affects the leather out of which the upper and liner are made, 300 F. being a typical temperature to which the counter is raised.

The moist atmosphere provided by the steam, in which the upper and liner are enveloped while they are heated by the lamp 58, serves to prevent the occurrence of these undesirable effects on the upper and liner. In addition,

, the steam serves to soften the upper leather and render aforementioned application Serial No. 80,919, filed January 5, 1961 and a new workpiece is placed in the apparatus. By providing three heat lamps 58 and three pairs of support fingers 72, three workpieces at a time 7 may be treated in the apparatus.

FIGURES 6 through 8 show a baffle 84 which may be serves to heat the steam during its upward movement toward the work and thereby inhibits premature condensation of the steam onthe walls of the baffle.

It should be understood that'the present disclosure is for the purpose of illustration only and that this invention includes all modifications which fall within the scope of the appended claims. While the disclosure describes a shoe stiffener in the form of a shoe counter located at the heel end of the shoe upper, the method and apparatus may be used as well in conjunction with a box toe stiffener located at the toe end of the upper.

I claim:

"l. A steam producing apparatus comprising: a pot; a receptacle formed in the top of the pot for containing a quantity of water; at least one electric heating cartridge located in the pot directly below and subjacent the bottom of the receptacle; a passageway extending horizontally through the pot subjacent the cartridge, said passageway having an entrance end and an exit end that intersect a side of the pot at adjacent locations and forming a loop between said ends that extends around the pot adjacent all of the sides of the pot; a supply source of water; and a conduit extending from the supply source,

tridge converts the water in the receptacle into steam and pro-heats the new water going from the supply source to the receptacle during the passage of the new water through the passageway. I

p 2. A shoe stiffener heating apparatus for heating a shoe stitlener, that is positioned at the interior of an end of a shoe upper, above a predetermined temperature comprising: a steam pot; a receptacle formed in the top of the pot for holding a quantity of water; heating means in the pot for converting the water into steam and causing the steam to rise upwardly of the receptacle; 2. wall connected to and extending upwardly of the pot; a heat lamp mounted on the wall and positioned over thereceptacle; and shoe upper support means connected to said wall and extending over the receptacle below the lamp.

3. A steam producing apparatus comprising: .a pot; a receptacle formed in the top of the pot for containing a quantity of water; heating means located in the pot directly below and subjacent the bottom of the receptacle; a passageway extending horizontally through the pot subjacent the heating means, said passageway having an entrance end and an exit end that intersect a side of the References Cited in the file of this patent pot at adjacent locations and forming a loop between said 7 ends that extends around the pot adjacent all of the sides UNITED STATES PATENTS of the pot; a supply source of water; and a conduit ex- 1,294,533 Reed 1919 tending from the supply source into said entrance end, 5 1,341,183 Lee May 25, 1920 through the passageway, out of said exit end and into 1,373,481 Brock Apr. 5, 1921 the receptacle, whereby the heating means converts the 2,3 05,689 Gross et a1, Dec. 22, 1942 Water in the receptacle into steam and pre-heats the new 055,028 G i S t, 25, 1962 water going from the supply source to the receptacle during the passage of the new water through the passageway. 10 

2. A SHOE STIFFENER HEATING APPARATUS FOR HEATING A SHOE STIFFENER, THAT IS POSITIONED AT THE INTERIOR OF AN END OF A SHOE UPPER, ABOVE A PREDETERMINED TEMPERATURE COMPRISING: A STEAM POT; A RECEPTACLE FORMED IN THE TOP OF THE POT FOR HOLDING A QUANTITY OF WATER; HEATING MEANS IN THE POT FOR CONVERTING THE WATER INTO STEAM AND CAUS- 